Homeowner John Bingham was robbed at gunpoint for the second time last week at his residence in Frigate Bay. This time he did something different.
“Last time I awoke to a noise in the middle of the night and looked out the window to see two men dressed in black with a battery powered angle grinder and cutting through my burglar bars. I called 911 but they said they were busy and I should call them back if the men got in the house. I called back 911 when the men got in the house and the police arrived about an hour later.”
“This time I called the fire department in panic. After I hung up the phone I started my trash alight because I didn’t want to anger them or be charged with making a false alarm. The fire department arrived promptly and at the sound of sirens the men took off before they could get into the bedroom where I had barricaded myself.”
“The fire department put out the fire and I explained to them that the burglars had started it as a distraction because I was too embarrassed to tell them the truth.” he sheepishly admitted to The Manchineel.
The Machineel asked Mr. Bingham if he had any plans to deter future break-ins. Mr. Bingham responded, “Oh yeah. I’m going to tint all the windows on my house and next time I need to call the police I’m going to tell them that I tinted all my windows and that I’m growing marijuana in the basement, because I know they will respond quickly and in massive numbers. Sure I’ll be fined for having tint on my windows, but I won’t actually grow any marijuana so the fine for tint is a reasonable price for having a prompt police response.”
The Manchineel followed up with Fire Chief Winston Grover. Grover said that he was glad fire services was able to help out but that homeowners should not call them for policing issues because it could take them away from training or availability to fight an active fire. Grover however did express gratitude to Mr Bingham for his faith and trust in the fire services of St Kitts & Nevis but cautioned him from alighting his trash again.